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Ruthan Gudd
'Ruthan Gudd '''served as a captain in the Bonehunters. He sported a beard which he had the habit of grooming with his fingers. His lieutenant was Raband, a Napan woman.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 11, UK HB p.370 He claimed to have served on the (second) ''Dhenrabi as part of Nok's fleet. He told Skanarow that the ship had slammed into the Stormwall and that of the two hundred and seventy-two crew, he was among the five survivors handed back to the fleet in a prisoner exchange.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 16 He was a friend and adjutant of Greymane, who advised Ruthan to (unlike Greymane himself) keep his head down. He fought in the Thirteenth Army under Greymane. Later with the Thirteenth he went to Malaz City and joined up with the Adjunct Tavore Paran's army. He was a man of few words and quite evasive of any questions regarding his past. Preferring as he said "to keep his head down" while noting "it's not working".Dust of Dreams, Chapter 11 In The Bonehunters (Information needed) In Dust of Dreams Ruthan Gudd had a brief affair with Shurq Elalle during the army's stay in Letheras.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 3 She could not get him to leave her house when Tavore ordered Fiddler to read the Deck of Dragons. Gudd was afraid of being at the camp that night.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 3 His thoughts of having lost two lieutenants at Y'Ghatan seem to indicate he had been with the Bonehunters for some time. Later on the march to Kolanse he became involved with Skanarow despite him having originally thought that he should avoid her, possibly due to her supposed fisherfolk descent.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 11, UK HB p.372 Skanarow later suspected that Ruthan Gudd was not his true name. In the period of the First Empire, Ruthan was trapped by Kallor on Jacuruku. Ruthan had been advised by Draconus to mind his own business, however he failed to heed such advice and became trapped in a seemingly eternal prison. Gudd had memories of escaping an Azath House when it died amidst balls of fire descending from the sky. He had clawed his way out of the ground to discover a changed Jacuruku suggesting he had been freed by the destruction caused by the fall of the Crippled God.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 19 Gudd often "clawed at his beard, reminding himself of the stranger's face he now wore."Dust of Dreams, Chapter 19 Upon Draconus' return to the mortal realm, Gudd remarked that upon their next meeting one of them would die.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 19 Later, during the battle against the K'Chain Nah'ruk he took on the appearance of a Stormrider and charged the enemy lines alone, killing many before being overwhelmed.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 23 In The Crippled God After the battle, Ruthan recovered the body of Bottle whom he had 'sniffed out', enabling the mage to gather his fragmented spirit and recover. He told Bottle that he had only been pounded into the ground by the K'Chain Nah'ruk as they had not been able to get through his armor. Together they set off to re-join the Bonehunters.The Crippled God, Chapter 2 The Unbound T'lan Imass bowed to him and called him "Elder". When questioned by Bottle about being called Elder he denied being an Elder god saying "It's not what you think", as when appearing as a Stormrider, Ruthan says that he borrowed the power, implying it was not his naturally. Ruthan later joined Adjunct Paran and a few others in attacking a Forkrul Assail commanding an army of Kolansii infantry seeking to destroy the Bonehunters. In Stonewielder Greymane made a passing reference to Ruthan, his former adjutant during the first Malazan invasion of the Lands of Fist. Greymane had been forced to relinquish his command and fled the army as a renegade. He always felt guilty about leaving Ruthan and his other soldiers behind and wondered if they still lived.Stonewielder, Chapter 2, US HC p.129 History Ruthan Gudd claimed to be a native of Strike Island. When questioned why he did not look Falari, he explained that he was descended from the island's original inhabitants. According to the legends of the Strike islanders, the more commonly known red- and gold-haired residents of the Falari Isles were actually invaders from across the eastern ocean.The Bonehunters, Chapter 13 Gudd commented to Bottle that he wished for a dog and that given his childhood, wishing for a dog was an unfamiliar experience.The Crippled God, Chapter 2, UK HB p.58 Speculations Ruthan Gudd's origins, including the possibility that he is a character that readers have seen elsewhere under a different name, are a hotly debated question among Malazan fans.http://forum.malazanempire.com/topic/16101-who-the-hell-is-ruthan-gudd/ Author's comments In answer to a reader's question, Steven Erikson explained that fans should be able to work out more about Ruthan Gudd's identity by the end of the Kharkanas Trilogy. For his full response read his answer to question 9 of the Tor Q&A session.Steven Erikson (2014) Ask Steven Erikson Your Crippled God Questions!, Tor Blogs, Macmillan, Accessed: 16-12-2014, Available: , see Steven Erikson's answer to question 9 Notes and references de:Ruthan Gudd Category:Males Category:Captains Category:Bonehunters Category:Ascendants